Is it too far?

bendertherobot

My commute is 18 miles each way. There are a few hills but it's more undulating than anything.

It takes me anything from 45 minutes to an hour depending on my mood.

Dry days, it's the best bike. Wet days, the other bike with crud racers on.

But, on the really crap days, I fancy something with proper guards etc.

And, basically, I'd like to do it on a singlespeed. A Day One Cross or On One Pompino probably.

But, is that too far, or, will it just make be a better rider?

UndercoverElephant

bendertherobot wrote:

My commute is 18 miles each way. There are a few hills but it's more undulating than anything.

It takes me anything from 45 minutes to an hour depending on my mood.

Dry days, it's the best bike. Wet days, the other bike with crud racers on.

But, on the really crap days, I fancy something with proper guards etc.

And, basically, I'd like to do it on a singlespeed. A Day One Cross or On One Pompino probably.

But, is that too far, or, will it just make be a better rider?

Can't speak for the Pompino, but it would be a pretty long way on the Day One, certainly for every day. Not the fastest bike around, but pretty good fun. Mine only gets used for the commute when it snows, other times it gets used are going to the shops or bimbling with the kids.

bendertherobot

I think, pretty much, it would be:

Snow, frost, ice : Day One

Heavy moonsoon : Day One

Light rain, dampness, greyness : Geared bike

Glorious December weekend day : best bike

UndercoverElephant

I don't much mind frost and ice on the Equilibrium. Have bought some Marathon Winters for the snow, should be fun.

bendertherobot

Oo nice! I COULD wait till January I suppose for my next B2W bike, and get the Day One Alfine.

Kieran_Burns

18 miles in 45 minutes????? :shock:

Roadtart

24mph IS possible, even with undulations......

Dalton

Kieran_Burns wrote:

18 miles in 45 minutes????? :shock:

Yeah, I was thinking that too! 24mph?

I only manage 17-18mph on my trusty Langster.

joelsim

I'm extremely pleased with 13 in 45 minutes.

bendertherobot

LOL! That should have been 48. Soz! That's on the geared bike currently, not a singlespeed.

So, do-able? If not 5 days a week.

clarkey cat

I do 21 miles each way on a 48*15 fixie. Can be tiring in a headwind. If it looks really blowy I take the geared bike.

bendertherobot

bendertherobot wrote:

My commute is 18 miles each way. There are a few hills but it's more undulating than anything.

It takes me anything from 45 minutes to an hour depending on my mood.

Dry days, it's the best bike. Wet days, the other bike with crud racers on.

But, on the really crap days, I fancy something with proper guards etc.

And, basically, I'd like to do it on a singlespeed. A Day One Cross or On One Pompino probably.

But, is that too far, or, will it just make be a better rider?

Turns out, not too far. Running 42/16t on a Genesis Day One Cross.

And, frankly, it's so well suited that I don't want to touch my geared bikes!

Wheelspinner

Try it first. Take geared bike, figure out the equivalent gear to a SS ratio, say 53 x 19, and do the whole route without changing gears. That will soon tell you if you have the legs for it.

bendertherobot

Wheelspinner wrote:

Try it first. Take geared bike, figure out the equivalent gear to a SS ratio, say 53 x 19, and do the whole route without changing gears. That will soon tell you if you have the legs for it.

Umm, I have, 4 times this week so far. Hence the above post

EKE_38BPM

18 miles in 45 minutes is doable but it is a bit quick.
A decent SS or FG should be fine for the commute as long as you get your gearing right. As has been said, do the route on a geared bike only using the gear you would be using on the SS/FG and it will give you an idea of what it will be like.

Our Lord and Master, Jeff Jones, averaged 25.46mph for 12 hours to smash the 12 hour world record earlier this year.
305.513 miles in 12 hours on a bike starting and finishing in roughly the same place (thus negating tailwinds and inclines)! Give the man a seegarr!

antlaff

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I don't much mind frost and ice on the Equilibrium. Have bought some Marathon Winters for the snow, should be fun.

hi does the Marathon Winters fit the Day One? Looking for a decent winter commuter as we jacked the second car in. Toying up the day one versus the Ridgeback ultraFlight single speed.

UndercoverElephant

Hope so! Haven't fitted them yet, though. The 700c versions are 35mm wide, shouldn't be a problem with the Day One - the tyres it comes with are as wide, albiet without the spikes.

itboffin

I did what sounds likes a similar sort of route distance for a year or so on SS and even set my fastest commuting time, that was until i ended up knackering both knees.

Oh and i guess it depends on how productive you want to be once at work.

andyrr

I'm doing the same distance, with 1300ft ascending homwards, 790ft outwards. Have used a SS running 44x17 for aroudn 10 months or so through good and bad weather. Can be hard work, probably gain a little on the harder leg as it seems to get up hills better than a geared bike would on that ratio but some bits are a struggle. On a good day I'll try to pedal as much of the route, 150+rpm downhill, other days I'll try to save as much energy as possible so soft pedal wherever I can. I'd suggest that, if you are reasonably fit, then it's a go-er and the simplicity of the SS bike with less to maintain in winter is a bonus.

EKE_38BPM

andyrr wrote:

I'm doing the same distance, with 1300ft ascending homwards, 790ft outwards. Have used a SS running 44x17 for aroudn 10 months or so through good and bad weather. Can be hard work, probably gain a little on the harder leg as it seems to get up hills better than a geared bike would on that ratio but some bits are a struggle. On a good day I'll try to pedal as much of the route, 150+rpm downhill, other days I'll try to save as much energy as possible so soft pedal wherever I can. I'd suggest that, if you are reasonably fit, then it's a go-er and the simplicity of the SS bike with less to maintain in winter is a bonus.

Soft pedal? Go fixed!!!

bendertherobot

Ta for the advice again, but, umm, I know, I've been doing it. And it's great fun.

meanredspider

andyrr wrote:

I'm doing the same distance, with 1300ft ascending homwards, 790ft outwards. Have used a SS running 44x17 for aroudn 10 months or so through good and bad weather. Can be hard work, probably gain a little on the harder leg as it seems to get up hills better than a geared bike would on that ratio but some bits are a struggle. On a good day I'll try to pedal as much of the route, 150+rpm downhill, other days I'll try to save as much energy as possible so soft pedal wherever I can. I'd suggest that, if you are reasonably fit, then it's a go-er and the simplicity of the SS bike with less to maintain in winter is a bonus.

Sounds barking to me - those ascents are similar to what I do (albeit mine would appear to be condensed into a shorter distance). I think on some of the slopes I do a SS would stall with all my weight on it. On others I'd need to be doing about 300rpm! All for the sake of a quick scrub and squirt of lube now and again?

meanredspider

bendertherobot wrote:

And it's great fun.

Why?

UndercoverElephant

meanredspider wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

And it's great fun.

Why?

The Day One is a great fun bike, puts a big grin on my face every time I ride mine. Takes me back to the days of my BMX when I was a nipper, so much so that I find myself using the sloping curbs near people's drives as wee ramps.

I find the geometry a little upright for long distances, though. Seems to put pressure on the small of my back.

Bender - Congratulations, it's a lovely bike. Did you get the new, red one or the yellow one like mine?

AidanR

The thing I like about a singlespeed is that you've just got to go for it on the hills. There's no bailout (walking is not an option ) so you have to attack, which brings out a certain exuberance. I appreciate, though, that this may not elicit the same reaction from everyone.

rick_chasey

AidanR wrote:

The thing I like about a singlespeed is that you've just got to go for it on the hills. There's no bailout (walking is not an option ) so you have to attack, which brings out a certain exuberance. I appreciate, though, that this may not elicit the same reaction from everyone.

Oui.

meanredspider

AidanR wrote:

The thing I like about a singlespeed is that you've just got to go for it on the hills. There's no bailout (walking is not an option ) so you have to attack, which brings out a certain exuberance. I appreciate, though, that this may not elicit the same reaction from everyone.

It just feel like the biking equivalent of a smart car - fun for a while but the novelty would soon wear off. I can appreciate if your ride is entirely urban and relatively flat, the "stripped down" nature of the ride might be appealing but, as I'm nearly permanently either going up a long steep hill or down one, it would permanently feel like the wrong bike.

EKE_38BPM

meanredspider wrote:

AidanR wrote:

The thing I like about a singlespeed is that you've just got to go for it on the hills. There's no bailout (walking is not an option ) so you have to attack, which brings out a certain exuberance. I appreciate, though, that this may not elicit the same reaction from everyone.

It just feel like the biking equivalent of a smart car - fun for a while but the novelty would soon wear off. I can appreciate if your ride is entirely urban and relatively flat, the "stripped down" nature of the ride might be appealing but, as I'm nearly permanently either going up a long steep hill or down one, it would permanently feel like the wrong bike.

The bit in bold is exactly how I feel about my fixie. Perfect for around London, but my ride from NLondon to Portsmouth reinforced my feeling that a) long distances and b) hilly rides are not fixies strong points.

I doubt my fixie will see the outside of the M25 again (and I live less than 4 miles from it).

AidanR

It depends on personal preference, and the severity of the terrain. If you want to be going as fast as you can all the time, then it's not for you. If you want the option to mince up hills when you're tired, it's not for you. If you don't like getting out of the saddle and getting aggressive, it's not for you.

But you'd be surprised how effective you can be at a range of different cadences. You don't have to ride at 90rpm +/- 5rpm the whole time, and it can be quite fun not to. You will probably feel like you're in an inappropriate gear a lot of the time at first, but you soon learn to vary your cadence instead.

meanredspider

AidanR wrote:

It depends on personal preference, and the severity of the terrain. If you want to be going as fast as you can all the time, then it's not for you. If you want the option to mince up hills when you're tired, it's not for you. If you don't like getting out of the saddle and getting aggressive, it's not for you.

But you'd be surprised how effective you can be at a range of different cadences. You don't have to ride at 90rpm +/- 5rpm the whole time, and it can be quite fun not to. You will probably feel like you're in an inappropriate gear a lot of the time at first, but you soon learn to vary your cadence instead.

But Croydon sounds like exactly the place where it will be at home - not too many 750ft (Cat 3, did someone once say?) climbs in Croydon.

bendertherobot

Yes to all of the above! In response I got the yellow one, which is the nicer colour in real life, it's actually more of an orange.

The Smart Car analogy is a good one, I used to have a Smart Car. But, for me that was the best car I ever had, just so "right." This bike just connects with me, perhaps that's the steel, perhaps it's the single speed nature of it. Don't know, just does.

For this particular commute (it's up and down) 42/16 just "works." It's not about cleaning gears (though that is a pain). I just feel more at one with the bike. Obviously I ain't gonna be doing a sportive on it. That said we do a 100 mile bike ride called the Carten once a year, Cardiff to Tenby, a social charity event. I CAN see me doing it on the SS.